GOP senator says O'Keefe credibility 'tarnished'

Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), who led a congressional push to cut off federal funds for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, said the credibility of the conservative filmmaker who targeted the group has been badly damaged in the wake of federal charges against him.

James O'Keefe, the filmmaker, and three other men in their mid-20s, were arrested Monday for allegedly attempting to tamper with Sen. Mary Landrieu's (D-La.) phones by pretending to be telephone repairmen. The four men each face up to 10 years in prison — and a $250,000 fine — for allegedly entering federal property under false pretenses.

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"That's real stupid and wrong and just not right — I mean it's as simple as that," Johanns said.

O'Keefe gained fame last year after producing films on the liberal group ACORN in which some employees seemed to provide advice to two people pretending to be sex workers to circumvent the law. That generated momentum behind Johanns's efforts in Congress to kill funding for the group.

But now Johanns said O'Keefe has been damaged.

"Of course his credibility will be tarnished if, in fact, this is what happened. You know what? It should be," Johanns said. "Just like the employees who engaged in this discussion about prostitution, etc., etc. — of course that destroys your credibility. And you know what? It should."

Johanns added: "I would make no attempt whatsoever to defend that kind of behavior, nor would I make any attempt to defend the behavior of many ACORN employees. It's wrong; it's just wrong."